Suspicion
by bionic4ever
Summary: Sus1. Even a well justified secret can cause suspicion and accusations. Will Jaime and Steve rise above it, or will their lives together be over for good?
1. Chapter 1

**Suspicion**

Chapter One

"You're _loaning me out_?" Jaime repeated. "Like a library book?"

Oscar smiled. "Jack Hansen specifically requested you."

"Ok; like a 'reserved' library book."

"I suppose you could look at it that way," Oscar conceded. "He's waiting for you in his office right now."

"He wants my help, and I have to go to him?"

"Jaime -"

"I'm going," she said with a slight pout. "Maybe _he'll_ have a sense of humor."

"Close the door on your way out," Oscar said, frowning at the thought of what Jaime was about to face. He probably should've warned her, but he just didn't have the heart.

------

"Miss Sommers, thank you for coming," Hansen said, motioning to a chair next to his desk. "Please, sit down." He thought she looked like someone facing a firing squad. _Poor kid - probably be easier on her if she was._

"I don't mean to be rude, Mr. Hansen, but why am I here?" Jaime asked, intimidated and more than a little frightened at having been summoned to the NSB Director's office.

"Miss Sommers, do you understand what is meant by the phrase _a dirty agent_?"

"Yes. That doesn't have anything to do with me, though."

"Unfortunately, it just might," Jack Hansen informed her solemnly.

"Excuse me?"

Hansen pulled a packet from his top desk drawer and removed a photo, which he set in front of Jaime. It was an 8 X 10 head shot of a woman in her late 20's. "Miss Sommers, do you know this woman?"

"No."

"Are you certain?"

"Positive. I've never seen her before. Is she the dirty agent?"

"Her name is Lydia Spence. She's a double agent, Soviet, working for our side. Recently some of the documents in her possession have ended up for sale on the international market."

Jaime was puzzled. "If she's Soviet, why wouldn't she turn the documents over to her own country?"

"As I told you, she's working on our side now."

"Obviously not, if her documents are up for sale," Jaime observed.

"_She_ isn't selling them," Hansen said. He set out another picture, taken from a distance, regretting the effect he knew it would have on the young woman seated across from him.

"No..." Jaime whispered. The picture showed Steve, standing next to Lydia Spence, with one arm around her waist and the other reaching for the packet she held in her hand.

"As you can see, Miss Spence has at least one American contact -"

"This...it isn't...possible..."

"Miss Sommers, you can see why I've called you here today. I need your help, and also your utmost discretion."

"There's been a mistake, Mr. Hansen. Some other explanation..."

"If you can find one, I'm open to hearing it. Right now, in my eyes and the eyes of the United States government, _this_ is our dirty agent, and he needs to be stopped. You are to find our proof, or proof to the contrary if it exists, without letting him know he's being investigated."

"Mr. Hansen -"

"You are in a most unique position, in terms of access to this agent. I must warn you, if you do not cooperate with this investigation, or if you attempt to warn him or protect him in any fashion, you can and will be charged as an accomplice."

"Mr. Hansen -"

"That will be all for now, Miss Sommers. You will check in with me first thing tomorrow morning, and every morning after that, until we solve this case."

------

Jaime stormed into Oscar's office, slamming the heavy wooden door hard enough to crack it clean through. "Oscar, you knew about this, didn't you?"

"Jaime, I couldn't -"

"**_You knew_**!" Jaime fumed. "How am I supposed to go home and face Steve?"

"You can't tell him."

"I know. _That's_ the problem! We don't keep things from each other!"

Oscar put it as gently as he could. "Babe, there's obviously at least one thing he did keep from you."

"He's not a 'dirty agent' - Steve would never betray his country!"

"Jaime -"

"I know what you're gonna say: that maybe the only one he betrayed...was me."

"Jaime, I'm so sorry this happened."

"He isn't cheating! He wouldn't...do that...to...me." Jaime sank into a chair, dissolving into tears. "There's another explanation; there has to be!"

Oscar pulled a chair next to Jaime's and held out a box of Kleenex, which she ignored. She ignored Oscar, as well. He longed to reach out and comfort her, to wrap his arms around her and let her cry it out on his shoulder, but he forced those feelings away, gently touching her arm instead. "Jaime, how can I help?"

"I can't do this," she sobbed, staring out the far window instead of looking at her boss. "Tell Jack to find someone else."

"I wish I could, Babe. In Hansen's eyes, since you and Steve live together, you've either got to find the evidence and turn him in, or you're a part of it, too."

"He can't force me -"

"Actually, he can. You and Steve aren't related; legally, you have no protection."

Jaime sat bolt upright in the chair, her tears suddenly forgotten. "Oscar, you're right. Thank you." She stood up and headed for the door.

"Jaime, wait -"

"Sorry. Too much to do. See ya!"

------


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Steve was on the back porch when Jaime got home, and he was more than a little surprised to see her. When she'd been called to Oscar's office, he'd assumed she was being sent on an assignment or a mission of some sort, and he was already lonesome for her. He smiled happily as Jaime wrapped her arms tightly around him, pulling him close for a long, deep kiss.

"Honey, I'm home," she said with a mischievous grin when they surfaced for air.

"I missed you," Steve said softly, his tongue darting lightly toward hers, inviting another round. Jaime's body melted into his and he swept her up into his arms, carrying her into the backyard. Their lips maintained constant, increasing pressure as he set her down gently in the giant, double hammock and climbed in beside her. The fabric enveloped them as they enveloped each other, rocking and swaying until long after the sun was gone.

------

Jaime sighed with contentment. "I should come home early more often," she whispered.

"Or, better yet, just never leave," Steve suggested.

"I could live with that," she replied, nestling closer to him as he poured them each a glass of wine. "If you could just get Hansen to agree..."

"Hansen? What does he have to do with anything?"

"I meant Oscar." Jaime gazed deeply into the eyes of the man she'd loved for nearly her entire life. She longed to simply ask him straight out - _Who is Lydia Spence_? - but she didn't dare. The man she'd just spent hours with, making love in a hammock, would never cheat on her, but he'd also never turn against the country he'd served for more than a decade. It looked like one of those two scenarios - however unlikely - was true. For now, though, she knew she had to change the subject; her slip of the tongue had nearly given it all away. "I must need a vacation even worse than I thought," she concluded.

"We aren't working, so where would Milady like to go?" Steve saw the clouds sweep across Jaime's face. He knew her mind wasn't on any proposed vacation, but he also knew she wouldn't tell him what was really troubling her until she was good and ready. "Jaime?"

Jaime's eyes brimmed with tears as she saw the love radiating from Steve's face. Her heart knew beyond any doubt that this man was neither a cheat nor a traitor, and she wasn't about to let Jack Hansen or even Lydia Spence come between them.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" he asked, gently brushing the tears from her eyes before they could start to fall. He kissed her softly and was alarmed to see her face grow even sadder.

"Jaime, are you in some kind of trouble?" he asked, not wanting to push her, but longing to take away the pain she was so obviously feeling. "Did something happen with Oscar today? Or with Jack Hansen?" He felt her shift restlessly in his arms. "Please talk to me. I'll help you any way I can; you know that."

Jaime had a vision of standing on a diving board, high above a bottomless swimming pool, unsure if she knew how to swim but knowing she was about to dive in anyway. "Do you remember what you said to me, about a week before I moved in here?" she asked quietly. Steve waited in silence, knowing she wasn't done with whatever she was trying to say. "You said that you didn't wanna pressure me, or make me feel obligated, and you were happy just to be together..." her voice trailed off.

"...in whatever capacity you're comfortable with," Steve concluded for her. "I remember." He'd told her he would be content to be her best friend, her big brother, or, if it was what she wanted, something more. He'd also told her he wasn't going to keep bringing it up, but that he stood ready, at any time, to marry her in a heartbeat if she ever said the word.

"I'm ready, Steve," she told him, finally smiling as she looked directly into his eyes. Steve held his breath, hoping against hope that she meant what he thought she did. She nodded, as if to confirm what he was thinking. "I want to be Mrs. Steve Austin; I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but you, and I can't imagine living without you, either. Let's get married...if that's still what you want."

"Jaime, that's the one thing I've always wanted, more than anything - you know that. I love you more than life itself," he affirmed, pulling her in for a very special kiss, one that held the promise of a lifetime together. "You're the only woman I've _ever _loved." He leaned back, caressing her face and beaming at her as his heart overflowed with happiness. "I'm guessing you might already have a date in mind?" he ventured, once he was able to speak.

Jaime nodded. "Let's leave right now, and fly out to Vegas. We can get married first thing in the morning."

------


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Hansen's slam left Oscar's already-cracked door in two pieces, the top half swinging free just above the doorknob. Both men chose to ignore it. "Alright, Goldman, where are they?"

"Good morning, Jack," Oscar said with a fake joviality that neither of them believed. "Getting a late start today, aren't you? You're usually hitting full growl mode by 10am, and it's almost noon."

Hansen refused to be distracted. "I even gave your girl extra time. She was told to check in first thing this morning. Not only did she not show up, she couldn't even pick up the phone and call."

"_My girl_?" Oscar was fairly certain he knew who Jack referred to, but the opportunities to toy with the NSB Director were few and far between, and Oscar was having fun. "I'm a confirmed bachelor; even you know that." He leaned back in his chair, lit a cigar and waited for the explosion.

It was a short wait. "_**Dammit**_!" Hansen cursed, picking up a chair as though he were about to throw it, then slamming it into the broken door instead. "Where are Sommers and Austin?" he growled through gritted teeth.

"Why would you ask me?" Oscar said with a shrug. "My understanding is that Miss Sommers is under your supervision at the moment, Jack."

"Well, not only did she not check in, but she and Austin both seem to have disappeared. She was very specifically told not to let him know he was under investigation."

"I haven't heard from either of them," Oscar said. "Maybe she didn't tell him anything. Maybe they decided to take a vacation..."

"Do your operatives make a habit out of going on vacations in the middle of assignments?"

"Not when I'm in charge of them."

"If you know anything, Oscar, or if you hear from them, I'd appreciate having you fill me in immediately."

"Of course," Oscar affirmed. "I'm sure you'll keep me posted as well." He stood, hoping Hansen would take it as a cue to leave.

"If you do hear from them," Hansen said on his way out, "you might want to let them know that if I don't hear from them - personally - by this time tomorrow, the APB I'm about to issue will be converted to a Federal warrant for their arrests."  
------  
At the exact moment that Jack Hansen was issuing a nation-wide APB, Steve was picking up a marriage license and Jaime was struggling with her conscience. Was she marrying Steve for the right reasons? She'd told him the truth when it came to her feelings: she loved him with her whole heart and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life at his side. Jaime had no doubts or reservations about that, and she also knew Steve's love for her was strong and true.

Keeping secrets was no way to begin a marriage, though, and Jaime was holding onto a big one. She reminded herself that she was marrying him - in part - to protect him, and so she wouldn't have to keep the secret any longer. Would she be marrying him if this hadn't come up? Yes and no. Becoming Steve's wife was a dream she'd had since she was a little girl, one that (with the exception of their separation while she recovered from amnesia) she'd never lost or wavered from.

If she was completely honest with herself, she had to admit that no, they wouldn't be where they were at this moment, less than an hour from becoming man and wife, without the interference of Jack Hansen and Lydia Spence. Jaime finally reached the conclusion that circumstances may have forced this to play out earlier than it otherwise would have, but the outcome - marriage - would have still been the same.

Oscar believed that Jaime's husband-to-be had cheated on her, and Jack Hansen believed he was a traitor. Jaime wasn't certain what the real truth was, but she believed in Steve, 100 percent, and she believed in the strength of their love.  
------  
Russ, Jim, Rudy and Peggy were seated around Oscar's desk, waiting anxiously for him to let them know the reason for this impromptu meeting.

"I'll get right to the point," Oscar told them. "Steve and Jaime have taken some sort of vacation or sabbatical. I don't know where they've gone, or why, but we need to find them, and we need to do it fast. It's imperative that we keep this strictly to ourselves, and when you do uncover any information, you need to bring it directly - and immediately - to me. Now, have any of you had contact of any kind with either Jaime or Steve in the last 12 hours?"

At first, no one spoke. Rudy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I saw them last night, just before 10:00," he revealed quietly. "They called and asked me to meet them at my office. They...wanted blood tests."

Oscar nodded. "That's what I'd suspected. Russ, I want you to check with Records and find their marriage license. It's obvious that's what they're doing. Once you find the license, check the hotels in the issuing state. Peggy, see if they had tickets on any commercial flight out of DC in the last 12 hours, and if they've got return tickets as well. Jim, check the nearby Bases and find out if Steve borrowed a plane on his own. I need hourly reports from all of you, whether you've found any information or not. Stay in touch with me, and only with me. And if I didn't stress this enough already, this is urgent - top priority. We have to find them before the end of the day. When they've been located, whoever speaks with them is to make it crystal clear that they are to contact me at once. Their safety, their future and possibly their very lives depend on it."  
------


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"You are, legally and officially, husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride." The Justice of the Peace beamed at Colonel and Mrs. Steve Austin, thinking to himself that in all the years he'd been performing these weddings, he had never seen a couple more in love than these two.

That was why, several hours later, when he was contacted by someone named Russ who claimed to be with the federal government, the Justice had lied, saying he hadn't seen - and definitely hadn't married - anyone by those names or fitting those descriptions. A love that deep and that special deserved every fighting chance it could get.

Back in Washington DC, a single light burned in the window of the OSI's main conference room, long after the other offices had grown dark. Five people sat at the conference table, working the phones and picking each other's brains throughout the night, determined to find their friends and bring them home safely, before someone else - someone who wasn't nearly as fond of them - had a chance to find them first.

------

Jaime smiled as she gazed happily at the form of her sleeping husband. In spite of the vigorous consummation of their marriage, she was still wide awake. She pictured Jack Hansen storming around his office, his face turning purple with troll-like anger and she felt absolutely no guilt at disobeying his directives. She just hoped Oscar wasn't getting both barrels of Hansen's anger. The more she thought about Oscar, the guiltier Jaime felt, until she couldn't live with herself anymore unless she set things right with her boss and friend.

Slowly and noiselessly, she got out of bed and padded down the hall to the tiny cabin's kitchen, where she settled onto the seat of one of the stools at the counter. It was after 1:00am, DC time, but instinct told Jaime to make the call anyway. If nothing else, she could leave a message on his machine for him to hear when he got there in the morning. She picked up the phone and dialed Oscar's direct "VIP" number, unsure if she'd prefer getting the person or his machine on the other end.

She didn't get his normal "Yes?" or "Hello?" or even the brusque, businesslike "Goldman" that he'd usually use when answering his phone. Instead, when the receiver on the other end was picked up, the voice was both worried and exhausted. "Jaime, is that you?"

She closed her eyes for a moment as guilt flooded her soul. "Hi, Oscar."

"Thank God. Are you alright? Is...Steve with you?"

"I'm fine. And yes, he is. We're both ok. We're also...married."

"Yes, I know. Under different circumstances, I'd give you my enthusiastic congratulations, but Babe, what in the hell possessed you -?"

"Look," Jaime said, "I didn't call to debate, and I'm sorry you're upset. I just wanted to let you know we're both ok, and -"

"Jaime, where are you? Why don't you let me send someone to bring you back quietly - both of you?"

"Does the word_ honeymoon_ have any meaning anymore?"

"Hansen put out an APB," Oscar said grimly.

"What?"

"At noon, less than eleven hours from now, there will be a warrant for your arrest - for both of you."

"No..." She closed her eyes briefly, but this nightmare still remained. "On what charges?"

"I'm sure he'll throw in anything he can even vaguely connect to you. Jaime, you haven't told Steve about the investigation, have you?"

"Not yet; not on our wedding day. He's my husband now, and I _won't_ keep this from him; I **_can't_**. I'm gonna talk to him first thing in the morning. I _will_ find out what's really going on. Hansen can't make me testify against Steve now - you know that, right?"

"He can still have you arrested as an accomplice..."

"Hold him off, if you can...please? I just need a little more time, and I'm sure I'll be able to clear all of this up."

Oscar sighed. "I'll try and stall Jack, but I don't think it'll work for very long. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Thanks, Oscar," Jaime said, hanging up. _I hope I do, too,_ she thought to herself. She turned to head back to bed and jumped at the sight of her new husband, standing quietly in the doorway, his face a mixture of confusion and anger, and his eyes very, very sad.

"Sweetheart," he said flatly, "I'm guessing we need to talk."

------

Jaime sprang to her feet, and the stool clattered to the floor as she took an involuntary step backward, out of sudden, paralyzing fear. She wasn't afraid of her husband; Steve would cut off his flesh-and-blood arm before he'd ever purposely hurt her. The overwhelming terror that gripped her was of the unknown she would now have to face head-on and of the conversation that was about to begin before she'd had a chance to mentally prepare and brace herself.

Steve, too, was in the grip of ice-cold fear. He'd heard enough of the conversation to know that he - _they_ - faced more trouble, individually and as a couple, than either of them was ready to handle.

They had one major thing in common as they looked at each other in stunned silence. Their union, which just hours ago had been rock-solid and eternal, was in serious jeopardy, and they both knew it.

------


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Steve stepped quickly toward his wife, reaching out to catch her as she stumbled on the fallen stool. He broke her fall with both of his arms, but rather than sink comfortably into his embrace, Jaime stiffened and pulled away with tear-filled eyes that broke Steve's heart.

"I...I'll make some coffee," she said in a quiet, shaky voice.

Steve nodded and moved on auto-pilot into the living room to light a fire in the tiny stone fireplace. Jaime joined him minutes later, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder as she handed him a steaming mug of coffee. The pain and fear in his eyes echoed her own, and Jaime joined him on the rug next to the fire, searching his face for any clue as to what was about to happen.

"I didn't hear the phone ring," Steve began, "and no one knows where we are - at _your_ request. So...why'd you call Oscar?" They couldn't look at each other now, the guilt, anger and confusion so thick in the room that it was hard to breathe. "Jaime?"

She took a moment to try and steady herself, but it didn't seem to help. "I need to ask you something, and I don't think there's an easy way to say it, but -"

"I heard you say something about 'Hansen'," Steve interrupted. "Jack Hansen?"

"Yes."

"You said Hansen couldn't make you testify against me. What was that all about?" Silence - painfully uncomfortable - hung between them. "Jaime, you need to tell me what the hell is going on."

_I will **not** cry_, she told herself; _at least, not yet._ After a pause, she looked directly and deeply into Steve's eyes. "Who is Lydia Spence?"

"Excuse me?"

"**Ly-di-a Spence**," Jaime repeated, emphasizing each syllable, spitting them out like bitter medicine.

"I heard you the first time. Sweetheart, where is this coming from?"

"**_Who. Is. She?_**"

"It really wouldn't do you any good to know that," Steve said, very quietly.

"My husband has his arm around some gorgeous redhead; I think that's something that definitely concerns me."

"My arm around...Jaime, how on Earth...?"

His new wife got up and moved across the room like a caged tiger. "Oh...I wasn't s'posed to know about that, huh?"

"Jaime -"

"You had a little something going on the side, and -"

"You know me better than that." Steve got up, reaching gently for her, trying to calm her anxious pacing, but she ducked away from him, turned around and glared, her eyes blazing with anger.

"I thought I did. Even managed to convince myself there was another explanation."

"_There is_."

"The way you're hedging around, not giving me an answer - I guess that's an answer in itself." Jaime struggled to contain her emotions. "We never should've come here; not 'til after this was taken care of..."

Suddenly, it all gelled in Steve's mind. "Wait a minute. You know her name _and_ what she looks like...and...**_Hansen_**. He's got something to do with this."

"Obviously."

"Jaime, please..._what_ is going on?"

Jaime heard the softness and the pain in his voice, and her heart melted but the rest of her body stood firm. "That's exactly what I'd like to know. Some people think you're sleeping with her -"

"That's beyond ridiculous."

"Other people say you're a traitor."

"**_What_**?"

Oops. That was the part of her hand she'd intended to keep to herself, the card she wasn't meaning to play, but there it was.

Steve had known Jaime for nearly her entire life, and that was all he needed. "You're working with Jack Hansen," he said softly. It was **not** a question. "Oh - my - God...you're on an assignment, and...you married me - _for information_!"

Jaime's stomach sank lower than the floor. "No..." was all she could manage to choke out before an uncontrollable flood of tears overtook her and she slumped to the floor in a heap of sobbing devastation. The assignment no longer mattered. Jack Hansen mattered even less. The one part of her life that truly did matter was slipping away from her, right before her eyes, and she was completely, helplessly, unable to stop it.

------

The argument was over. Their emotions had run the gamut from extreme joy and happiness to the deepest sort of pain and despair. Their lives and their love had - in the space of less than an hour - been ripped into unrecognizable shreds. The bits and pieces that remained lay shattered between them, awaiting the decision as to whether Jaime and Steve would attempt to fit those pieces back together or whether that choice would prove too painful, meaning that the shattered remains of their lives together would be abandoned, left to blow away like the forgotten petals of a withered flower.

------


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Most men would've probably walked away, seeing Jaime's tears, and her sliding to the floor, as too much feminine manipulation. Steve knew that was simply not her nature; it never had been, and nothing and no one in the world could've made him leave. Her devastation was genuine, and he rose above his own pain with an overwhelming need to comfort her. He moved swiftly to Jaime's side, kneeling next to her on the floor and very gently encircling her in his arms. This time, she didn't duck away.

Jaime's entire body trembled as she leaned into the comfort and safety of Steve's strong, loving arms. He ran one hand very slowly through her hair, while his other hand tenderly rubbed the small of her back with a very light pressure that let her know she should remain exactly where she was, for as long as she needed to. Her arms were soon wrapped around his body, as well, clinging to him as tightly as if he were a life ring in the middle of a stormy sea. She had moved beyond tears, so they sat silently, just holding each other, for nearly twice as long as the argument had lasted.

Finally, Jaime raised her head and, with her face just inches from Steve's, her eyes reached out to his and her expression grew serious. "Steve, we can talk about all the rest of it; I'll answer any questions you wanna ask. But I want you to know that I married you because _I love you_ with every fiber of my being, and I know without any doubt that I always will."

"I love you, too, Sweetheart, more than I can put into words." He held her face gently in both of his hands, pulling her closer for a slow, soft kiss. "I'm the one with questions to answer," he told her.

"Maybe. But before you say anything, you should know **_why_** these questions came up in the first place. I never should've kept it from you - I'm so sorry."

"Tell ya what," Steve bargained, "how 'bout we just start the whole conversation over from the beginning."

"Colonel, I like how you think."

------

Steve fed the fire, then sat down on one side of the ugly (but quite comfortable) little plaid love seat, taking care to leave the second cushion vacant and - he hoped - inviting. Jaime returned from the kitchen with fresh mugs of coffee, handed one to her husband and turned toward the rocker in the corner.

"Jaime? I'd really like it if you'd sit here, with me." She turned and, with an expression that reminded Steve of a deer in the headlights of a semi, slowly sat down beside him. What she was about to tell him couldn't be all _that_ terrible - could it? Steve took her hand carefully in both of his and smiled lovingly into her frightened eyes. "Whatever this is about, **we** will get through it."

Jaime took a long, deep steadying breath. "Two days ago, when Oscar called me in, he sent me to see Jack Hansen. Jack showed me a picture of Lydia and told me she'd defected from the Soviets to us."

Steve looked surprised. "Hansen told you that?"

"Yeah. He said some of the information she'd gathered - for our side - wound up for sale instead. Then he showed me another picture. You...your arm...was around her waist, and she was giving some kind of envelope or packet. Hansen said you sold her information - that you were a _dirty agent_."

"Oh, my God..."

"He said that since we live together, I had to investigate you and bring him the evidence, and if I warned you or tried to protect you, I'd be charged, too."

Steve brushed his fingertips along Jaime's cheekbone. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

"I checked with Oscar, and he said I had no choice, no legal protection, because we weren't related -"

Steve got the picture now; all of it. "_That's_ why we got married."

"No. Please don't think that. We got married because **_I love you_**. I wanna spend the rest of my life loving you. We got married so quickly because I couldn't keep this from you. Now they can't force me to turn over evidence or testify against you. Besides, I will never believe you could've done what Hansen's claiming."

"I didn't."

"I know," Jaime confirmed, smiling at him for the first time in hours. "Steve...there's more."

"Tell me," he said, taking her gently in his arms.

"I was supposed to check in with Hansen first thing yesterday morning. When he didn't hear from me, he put out APBs. At noon today - their time - he's gonna issue arrest warrants, for both of us."

"That's less than eight hours -"

"Oscar wanted to send someone to bring us back," Jaime told him.

"He knows where we are?"

"Uh-uh. That's why I wanted to come here, instead of staying in a hotel."

"We can still make it back in time -"

"Oscar said he'd try to stall, buy us some time..."

"Jaime, maybe if I went back by myself, Hansen would agree to leave you out of it."

"No way; if we're going back, we're going together. Husband and wife - a team."

"Jaime -"

"Non-negotiable."

Steve sighed. "Why don't we call Oscar back and see if he was able to hold things off; you should have all the facts before you make that decision. My turn for truth-telling."

Jaime got up. "I'll call."

Steve joined her in the kitchen, just in time to see her face turn death-pale, as she dropped the phone receiver and backed away from it in horror. "No..." She was mumbling.

Steve caught the receiver in mid-swing. "Oscar? You still there?"

"I'm here. I'll tell you what I just told Jaime. I couldn't buy you any extra time because warrants have already been issued."

"But -" Steve began to protest.

"Steve, this is a whole new game now, and we're in a completely different ballpark. About an hour ago, Lydia Spence was found dead. Murdered."

"They think I did it..." Steve guessed.

"No; they think Jaime did. But they've charged both of you. Now, you know that I can't tell you to break any laws, but I don't advise coming back here right now -"

"I understand," Steve replied grimly. "We're safe for now; Oscar, I'll call you back later."

------


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

It was only the middle of the day, but Steve poured a glass of brandy for Jaime, to try and calm her frazzled nerves. She hated hard liquor - never drank it - but accepted the glass without argument and immediately took a long, hard swig. Steve drank a little bit himself and set the bottle on the coffee table beside them. He had a feeling they might want to keep it handy.

"Lydia's real name is - _was_ - Claudia Spencer," he explained. "She wasn't Soviet; she was American."

"I...don't understand."

"I knew her a little over a year ago, while you were still struggling with your memory. We were both part of a very, very top secret project the Air Force was conducting. Not even the NSB, OSI or FBI knew what we were doing. The Air Force had set up its own Intelligence Force, completely autonomous, separate from any Federal agency. Without all the government's regulations and red tape, things could be accomplished twice as well in less than half the time. It wasn't treasonous or anti-American; we were working solely for the good of this government, but without government interference."

"Doing what?" Jaime asked, fascinated in spite of their predicament.

"Anti-terrorism, mostly, and some counter-intelligence when the need popped up. I was Claudia's trainer, and her cover was as a Soviet defector. If Oscar and Hansen still believe that, then we did our jobs well."

"You dated her, too?"

"No. The job we were doing was too important and besides, my mind and my heart were with you; always have been."

"You had your arm around her -"

"I don't know anything about a picture like that, but if I did, it was purely casual, possibly trying to mislead someone who might've been watching. If there were files or papers in the picture, I was giving them to her, not the other way around, because once she was fully trained, I was the one who usually gave her travel orders and assignments. Any picture of Claudia with me has to be at least a year old, because just under a year ago, we sent her overseas. When she returned to the States, the program was folding and I'd gone back to California to be with you. Never saw, or even spoke to her again."

"What did she know that could be up for sale?" Jaime inquired.

"Not a lot, really...she was instrumental in putting over a dozen very dangerous men behind bars, but that brought each of their cases to a close; nothing there to sell. I really can't think of anything...oh."

"There is something?"

"The very last job we sent her on, she 'acquired' the designs for some brand-new prototype weapons systems. She turned over the information -"

"_All_ of it?"

"Well, we can't know that for sure, but I'm guessing whoever she physically gave the plans to, they may have decided to let some time pass and then use them for personal gain."

"Steve, why does everyone seem so sure that Lydia - I mean, Claudia - didn't sell this stuff herself?"

"Like I told you, the men she helped put away were violent, dangerous people. That's why, when the program folded, she was given a new identity -"

"Lydia Spence."

"Right. And 'Lydia' was sent underground, deep and well-hidden so that none of them could find her. If she ever surfaced, even long enough to sell information, it would literally be suicide. They wouldn't hesitate to have her killed. Instantaneously."

"Um...Steve?" Jaime's eyes met her husband's as they both realized that was undoubtedly what had happened.

"Since Hansen and Oscar never knew about the Air Force program, the way you've described that picture, I can definitely see why they'd think I did it."

Jaime decided it was best to not tell Steve that Oscar thought him innocent of treason and guilty of cheating; didn't seem to matter much, in the end. With her death - deserved or not - Claudia Spencer had proved them both innocent.

------

"And that's why we couldn't tell you, Oscar, even after the program had ended," Steve explained to his boss through the safety of the telephone. "Jaime never even knew; no one did, except the people involved."

"I never did think you were guilty, Pal, but I want to apologize for what I _was_ thinking."

"What was that?"

"...Jaime didn't tell you?" Oscar felt like he should open his mouth and insert a foot.

Steve smiled at his wife before resuming the conversation. "No, but I'm sure she will. _Ve haf vays of making her talk."_

Oscar chuckled with him for a moment, then grew serious once again. "Until General Bailey confirms what you've told me - which I'm sure he will - the two of you are still considered to be wanted for murder and treason. Now, I can't tell you to break the law, but..."

"Thanks, Oscar; I get it. We'll stay put for now."

"Call me in about 72 hours. Hopefully I'll have everything cleared up by then. In the meantime, try to have at least a little bit of a honeymoon, ok?"

"Is that an official order, Boss?"

"You bet."

------


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"So Oscar wants us to stay put?" Jaime said, nestling happily into Steve's arms.

"He couldn't actually _say_ that, since we're technically hiding from justice, but yeah - I'm supposed to call him again in three days."

"If General Bailey is stationed right there in DC, it shouldn't take more than an hour or two for him to straighten things out -"

"I know that," Steve said as he pulled her even closer. "You know that, and even Oscar knows that, but he's a good guy. He's giving us a special wedding present - peace, quiet and time to ourselves."

"I like that idea."

"But ya know, you're changing the subject. What was it that Oscar thought was happening?"

"You don't wanna know that," Jaime said lightly, tipping her head up to kiss him.

"Jaime Lyn..."

"He thought we should've gotten married years ago."

"He'd have told me that himself. No - he apologized for this. C'mon; what is it?"

"Like someone I know and love said, not too long ago: it really wouldn't do you any good to know that."

Steve grinned. "I'm prepared to tickle you, if necessary."

"Ok, alright! Just promise you won't get upset. After all, he did apologize."

"Now entering tickle mode..."

"He thought you and Lydia were...um..."

"I think I get it. You know, the only person who never doubted me - was you." He kissed her again, this one long, deep and inviting. "There's something I need to ask you, though."

"Kiss me like that, and you can ask me anything."

"For as long as we've both looked forward to it, this marriage had a pretty unusual, kinda rocky start."

"I'll say," Jaime agreed.

"Would you rather get this annulled and do it over again, the right way, for the right reasons?" Steve asked cautiously.

"Is...that...what you want?"

"Sweetheart, the only thing I want is for you to be happy."

Jaime didn't even need to think about it. "We've both been through hell and back in the last couple of days. We fought hard for this - for **_us_** - in spite of everything going on around us. So I would actually rather keep what we have." She smiled at him, her eyes dancing with happiness and glowing with love. "I wouldn't wanna change the way I'm feeling right now. But...there _is_ one thing you could do if you want me to be _ultimately_ happy..."

"What might that be?"

"You could pick me up, carry me into that bedroom, and make sure neither one of us emerges until it's time to call Oscar."

"And you think that'll make you happy."

"I _know_ that'll make me beyond happy."

"You're the boss," Steve told her as he stood up, lifting her into his arms.

"Can I have that in writing?"

"You know what I have to do to you now, don't you?"

"You wouldn't dare..."

Halfway to the bedroom, Steve paused just long enough for one good tickle.

END


End file.
